vHIS EATS continued from page 14 and lockers. He also prefers Dimock cheese. “You can get all of these ingredients locally, but I’ll go to Sioux Falls and stock up on some things, like the olive oil,” he said. “Most of these dishes cost only a few cents to make, and you can make three or four times this much at one time.” The Huffs generally like to make their meals from scratch. They’re not typically “weekend warriors” who mass produce meals for the entire week. However, they will cut up meat and vegetables or take care of other prep work at one time. The move reduces a great deal of the time-consuming work for a particular meal. The practice also ensures that ingredients are on hand and helps prevent unnecessary purchases and stress for evening meals. “I really enjoy cooking. It’s my ‘release’ from everyday stress. I started off specializing with breakfasts and moved on to baking,” Tracy said. “Our kids can help with meals, and I let them make choices for meals. We’ve had a pizza bar, pasta dishes and ‘build a burger’ nights. I think it promotes better nutrition and meal choices for them.” The Huffs encourage a great deal of experimentation in the kitchen. “I think I learned the most from my mistakes” Tracy said. “I’ll try a new recipe, or try something different with a familiar recipe. It may not work out, that’s OK. I’ve learned what does and doesn’t work, and I move on to the next thing.” When it comes to food, Steve believes most people are afraid of the unknown. But that can often deprive them of some great culinary experiences, he added. “People want to be comfortable, especially with what they eat,” he said. “But don’t be afraid of stepping out of your comfort zone. When it comes to a meal, we haven’t lost anyone yet!” n check out... hervoiceonline.com vWORTMANN continued from page 17 “I love working with kids and I think this is something kids are missing; they don’t do stuff like that anymore and they need to,” Wortmann said. “The parents need to see if their children are interested in it and help them if they are.” Thinking along those lines, Wortmann attended a summer camp last summer in Sioux Falls with his portable turning lathe and taught kids how to turn. His nephew is a fire engineer in the city and this is one of the volunteer projects he works with - running the camp. He invited his uncle to participate. Wortmann offered a workshop for the kids with a couple projects using a turning lathe. They made small baseball bats using the lathe and a simple wooden pen cover. He drilled the hole in the pen barrel ahead of time and then the kids turned the pen on the lathe. With the purchase of a simple ballpoint pen, they removed the ink barrel and inserted into the wooden pen to be used over and over. At the end of the workshop, he asked the kids to grade him and he got A+ all across the board. He was tired at the end of the day but felt fulfilled he did something for those kids – and he will go back. Wortmann spent the cold month of February remodeling the bathroom in his home with the help of a neighboring carpenter and made all the bathroom and hallway cabinets in his workshop. There were 22 doors in all. He is now ready to work on smaller projects in his shop like a large butcher block cutting board for his daughter-in-law or his new project – pens with pheasant feathers. “My new thing is pens with pheasant feathers,” Wortmann said. He has made a variety of specialty pens in the past like pens for policemen or firefighters, but this is a different type of project. He glues the small feather pieces to the pen barrel and encases them in a plastic cover. He anticipates they will sell quite well for the bird lovers just like pens from deer antlers are very popular for hunters. This last year Wortmann attended the Colorado Wood Turning Symposium with a woodworker friend from Creighton. He estimates there were well over a thousand people there associated with turning and some premier experts like the world’s best turner. A large display room is available, and participants are invited to display an item they have created. He placed one of his pens setting on a deer antler pen holder he makes and on the last morning of the event, they acknowledge 30 outstanding pieces out of all in the room. He was very pleased to have his pen display chosen. “I won’t be selling that pen,” Wortmann said smiling. n Visit Yankton.net For All Things Yankton! -Things to Do -Calendar of Events -Dining & Entertainment -Directory And much more!! -Local News -Shopping Serving the Yankton area for over 20 years online and over 156 years in print! 18vHISVOICEvMAY/JUNE 2018